End wall plate for railway box cars



April 19, 1955 w. c. sLEEMAN ETAL 2,706,454

END WALL PLATE FOR RAILWAY BOX CARS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 26, 1949 United States Patent O 2,706,454 END WALL PLATE FOR RAILWAY Box CARS William C. Slecman, Birmingham, and Robert F. Karger, Mountain Brook, Ala., assignors to Pullman-Standard Car Manufacturing Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application May 26, 1949, Serial No. 95,504 12 Claims. (Cl. 10S-416) This invention relates to an end Wall construction for railway box cars and has particular reference to an integral end plate designed to provide a car end of 1ncreased strength and improved appearance.

The principal object of the invention 1s to provide a railway car end Wall including one or more strengthening corrugations and having an integral end plate portion incorporating one or more embossrnents wholly 1ndependent of the corrugations.

An important object of the invention 1s the provision of a railway car end wall panel including a plurality of hollow strengthening ribs disposed with thelr major axes substantially parallel and horizontal and having in mtegral end plate portion incorporating one or more einbossments wholly independent of the hollow mam rlbs and at an angle thereto. n

Specifically, the invention contemplates a railway box car end wall corrugated substantially throughout the extent of its major area, having an integral end plate portion formed with a fiange conforming to the ridge contour of associated roof structure, and wherein the normally plane surface of the end plate is embossed with one or more corrugations, the greatest dimension of which extends generally perpendicular to that of the major corrugations.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention are attained by the end wall construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a general end elevational view of the end wall of this invention showing the vertically disposed embossrnents in the otherwise tiat end plate portion above and separate from the horizontal corrugations in the major area of the end wall panel;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the end Wall showing the relative depth of the embossrnents in the end plate portion and the major corrugations therebeneath;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view through the end plate portion of the end wall, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. l, showing the sectional contour of the embossments therein;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view to larger scale, illustrating the vertical embossrnents in the end plate portion and the horizontal corrugations of the end wall as viewed from the side; and

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view, also to larger scale, taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. l, showing the sectional contour of both the vertical embossrnents and the horizontal corrugations.

In the construction of railway box cars, the end walls usually are provided with corrugations in the form of horizontal strengthening ribs disposed in the major area thereof, and including an end plate portion thereabove having a at surface and the upper extremity anged and shaped to the ridge contour of the associated proof structure. However, in the manufacture of these ends and as a result ofthe pressing operation to form the corrugations and in the formation of the upper edge ange to the ridge contour of the roof, the flat condition of the end plate portion was destroyed to the extent that wrinkles caused by buckling of the end sheet in this area developed as a direct result of the pressing of the corrugations and formation of the upper edge ange, and

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which, thereby, reduced the rigidity of the end plate and presented an unsightly appearance and created a condition in relation to the joint between end wall and roof sheet which necessitated special preparations entailing additional labor to seal this joint against leakage. These difficulties are overcome in the present invention by embossing the end plate portion of the end wall panel to take up the excess metal which ows in this area during the pressing of the main corrugations and the formation of the top flange, and provides one or more outstanding embossments, which rigidies the end plate and insures a plane surface in the entire area thereof surrounding the embossed space.

In the drawings, 10 represents a railway box car end wall/including upper panel 11 and lower panel 12 secured together at their adjoining edges, as shown, by a row of rivets 13. Throughout the major area of the end Wall, both panels are provided with a plurality of hollow strengthening ribs or corrugations 14 which, as shown, are disposed horizontal and parallel, extending entirely across the full width of the end. The topmost major corrugation 15 is of less depth than the remaining corrugations, as best indicated in Fig. 1 by the greater length of the crown portion, and this is to bring the brake mast step (not shown), normally mounted thereon, within clearance requirements. A topmost corrugation 16, of less dimension than any of the other major corrugations, is disposed thereabove in the upper area of the end wall structure to rigidity this portion of the end.

The area 17 of the end wall above the corrugation 16 comprises the end plate portion of the car structure and is an integral part of the end wall panel 11, adapted operatively to be connected with the roof and side wall structures, including side plates 27, to enter into and form an integrated part of the car framing structure. The end plate at the upper extremity is flanged rearwardly as at 18, as best illustrated in Figs. 2, 4 and 5, following the contourA of the car roof 19 so that it slopes from the ridge position at the center in opposite directions toward the respective sides, as best shown in Fig. 1. The roof 19 is supported on the end plate flange 18 and itself is iianged over the face of the end plate, as at 20, and secured by a row of rivets 21. The joints at the corners between roof, end and side plates, are closed by corner caps 22 which supplement the connections of the end plate to the roof and side wall structures and assist in tying the end plate into the car framing.

lt is essential, both structurally and from the standpoint of appearance, that the end plate portion 17 of the end structure have an absolute degree of planeness, more efhciently to transmit stresses imposed, which could not be so transmitted in a member distorted by Wrinkles and buckles, and the further effect of which is to destroy any aesthetic effect the end wall as a whole might otherwise have had. When such distortion occurs in the end plate portion, it creates an irregular surface which, presented to the overlying flange 20 of the roof, causes an imperfect joint which necessitates special provisions to insure a weathertight condition. At the erection location under such conditions, it is necessary to provide additional labor, which otherwise would not be needed, especially to caulk and seal this joint to obtain a weatherproof connection between the roof and end. A perfect degree of flatness in the end plate area of the end wall may be had by providing for the flow of metal which occurs incident to the manufacture of the end, and due primarily to the formation of the major corrugations 14, and which, if not provided for and controlled during the manufacture thereof causes buckles and wrinkles in the end plate portion, resulting in distortion therein when the completed structure is ready for erection with the car structure. The present invention affords a structure, the design of which prevents and avoids any distortion in the integral end plate portion due to the working of the metal in the process of manufacture of the end Wall panel.

As best shown in Fig. l, the end plate 17 is formed with one or more embossments 24 in the form of corrugations wholly independent of the major corrugations and of each other and having their greatest dimension or major axes parallel and at an angle to that of the horizontal corrugations 14, and 16. The embossments 24 as shown comprise a plurality of vertically disposed corrugations in the end plate portion above and separate from the topmost corrugation 16 and are disposed in the central area of the end plate and vary in height from opposite sides 0f the ridge position in accordance with the slope of the roof at each side, the embossments terminating at their upper ends short of the depending flange 20 on the roof overlying the end plate. When the corrugations are pressed in the major area of the end wall panel 11, which operation is performed hot, the displacement of the original disposition of the metal in the panel causes the metal over substantially the entire area thereof to ow, and unless this shifting of the metal is absorbed, it causes wrinkles and buckles which result in distorted areas in the marginal portions of the panel. The embossments 24 in the end plate 17 absorb this flow of metal in the forming operation and insure a perfectly flat end plate portion in the entire area thereof surrounding the embossments from side to side. The embossments, in addition to absorbing the metal displaced in forming the end wall, also further stiifen and rigidify the end plate against stresses imposed at an angle thereto, and by the disposition and maintenance of the metal therein in a single plane also stabilize and reinforce the end plate against stresses in a direction parallel to the o plane thereof.

The perforated minor embossments 25 in the end plate portion 17 are provided for the accommodation of bolts securing an inside liningr retainer (not shown) at the inner side of the end wall. The retainer normally is disposed to clamp the top edge of the lining against the end wall, and the embossments 25 for accommodating the securing bolts are provided for the purpose of recessing the bolts so that their inner ends will not project beyond the inside face of the lining. The embossment 26 between the two central embossments 24 is disposed in the same plane with the embossments 25 and for the same purpose of recessing a securing bolt within the dimension of the inside lining. This latter embossment being confined between centrally disposed embossments 24 is formed integrally or continuously therewith, since the proximity of the two central embossments would render it ditllcult to form a small embossment therebetween and the continuous arrangement of the group embossment makes for a better pressing operation in the manufacture of the end wall panel.

From the foregoing it will be seen that there has been provided a box car end wall having a plurality of horizontal strengthening ribs, and incorporating an integral end plate portion above the strengthening ribs which is flanged at its upper edge and shaped to the slope of the car roof and connected at opposite sides of the car to the framing structure, and which is provided with one or more embossments in the central area of the end plate, disposed at an angle or angles to the horizontal ribs, serving to rigidify and strengthen the end plate and in addition to the reinforcement thus afforded t0 insure a flat or plane surface in the entire area of the end plate surrounding the embossed central portion whereby to improve not only the strength thereof but the appearance of the end Wall through the elimination of distortion by preventing wrinkles and buckles.

What is claimed is:

1. In a railway box car metallic end wall having a plurality of horizontal strengthening corrugations pressed into the major area thereof, an end plate area integral with the end wall in the upper portion thereof, and a plurality of vertical corrugations pressed into said end plate area entirely independent of said horizontal corrugations for absorbing the flow of metal resulting from the pressing of said horizontal corrugations.

2. In a railway box car metallic end wall having pressed therein a plurality of hollow strengthening ribs disposed with their major axes substantially parallel and horizontal, an end plate integral with the end Wall in the upper por tion thereof, and an elongated embossment pressed into said end plate Wholly independent of said strengthening ribs and disposed with the major axis thereof at an angle to the major axes of said ribs for absorbing the flow of metal resulting from the pressing of said ribs.

3. In a railway box car metallic end Wall having pressed therein a plurality of hollow strengthening ribs disposed with their major axes substantially parallel and horizontal, an end plate integral with the end wall in the upper portion thereof, and a metal gathering embossment pressed into said end plate wholly independent of said strengthening ribs for absorbing theilow of metal resulting from the pressing of said ribs.

4. In a railway car metallic end wall having a plurality of hollow strengthening ribs pressed therein disposed with their major axes substantially parallel and horizontal, an end plate integral with the end wall in the upper portion thereof, a flange pressed on the end plate extending at an angle to the general plane of the end Wall, and an integral embossed pressed into said end plate wholly independent of said strengthening ribs and said flange adapted to gather the flow of metal in the end wall incident to the pressing of said ribs and the formation of said flange to prevent distortion in the unpressed area of said end plate.

5. In a railway car metallic end wall panel including an integral substantially flat vertical end plate area having a continuous flange pressed on the upper edge thereof and shaped for engaging the entire width of the end zone of a ridged roof, one or more embossments pressed into said end plate area wholly independent of said flange for absorbing the ow of metal resulting from the pressing of said flange.

6. In a railway car metallic end wall panel including an integral end plate area, one or more strengthening embossments pressed into said panel wholly independent of the end plate area, and one or more embossments pressed into said end plate area wholly independent of said strengthening embossments for absorbing the flow of metal resulting from the pressing of said strengthening embossments.

7. In a railway car metallic end wall panel including an integral end plate area, one or more strengthening embossments pressed into said panel wholly independent of the end plate area, and one or more elongated embossments pressed into said end plate area wholly independent of said strengthening embossments for absorbing the flow of metal resulting from the pressing of said strengthening embossments, said end plate embossments having their major axes substantially vertical.

8. In a railway car metallic end wall panel including an integral end plate area, one or more strengthening embossments pressed into said panel disposed horizontally and wholly independent of the end plate area, and one or more elongated embossments pressed into said end plate area wholly independent of and substantially perpendicular to said strengthening embossments for absorbing the ilow of metal resulting from the pressing of said strengthening embossments.

9. In a railway car metallic end wall panel including an integral end plate area having an inwardly directed roof-engaging flange pressed on the upper edge thereof, an outwardly directed embossment pressed into said end plate area independent of said flange, and one or more strengthening corrugations pressed into said panel wholly independent of said embossment, said embossment serving to absorb the flow of metal resulting from the pressing of said flange and corrugations.

10. In a railway car metallic end wall panel including an integral end plate area having an inwardly directed roof-engaging flange pressed on the upper edge thereof, a plurality of outwardly directed embossments disposed in laterally spaced relation pressed into said end plate area and being independent of said flange, and one or more strengthening embossments pressed into said panel independent of said end plate area, said first-named embossments serving to absorb the tlow of metal resulting from the pressing of said flange and said second-ngmed embossments.

1l. In a railway car metallic end wall panel including an integral end plate area, a plurality of laterally spaced elongated embossments pressed into said end plate area having their major axes disposed vertically and substantially parallel, and one or more strengthening embossments pressed into said panel having their major axes disposed horizontally and located entirely below said end plate area, said laterally spaced embossments serving to absorb the flow of metal resulting from the pressing of said strengthening embossments.

1?.. ln a railway car metallic end Wallpanel including an integral end plate area, an embossment pressed into sald end plate area, and one or more strengthening corrugations pressed into said panel located entirely below said D. 161,655 end plate area and wholly independent of said emboss- 5 1,074,746 ment, said end plate embossment being of less depth than 1,171,662 said corrugations and serving to absorb the flow of metal 1,63 8,156 resulting from the pressing of said corrugations. 1,684,010

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Sleeman et al. Jan. 16, Rohlfing Oct. 7, Russell Feb. 15, Gilpin Aug. 9, Campbell Sept. l1, 

